Episode Details

A parenting plan is only as strong as the gaps it closes, and in a high-conflict divorce every vague line is an opening. In this episode, New York and New Jersey family law attorney Leona Krasner gives Lisa a concrete playbook for writing an agreement that actually holds up.

Leona explains why you should start before the separation is final, detail everything from holidays to hand-offs, and keep the emotion out of the document. She breaks down the real difference between sole and joint legal custody (and the "final decision-making authority" option most people miss), how the right of first refusal actually works, what courts will and won't enforce about new partners, and what it takes to act when one parent starts turning the kids against the other: proof, a documented pattern, the right expert, and a Child's Bill of Rights written into the plan.

This is strategic education, not legal advice for your specific situation.

✅ WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
✅ When to start your parenting plan (earlier than you think) and what to put in it
✅ Why keeping emotion out of the document makes it far more enforceable
✅ Sole vs. joint legal custody, and the "final decision-making" option most people miss
✅ How the right of first refusal really works, and why judges look for a pattern
✅ What courts will and won't enforce about introducing new partners to your kids
✅ How to build tiebreakers so disagreements don't send you back to court
✅ What it actually takes to act on non-disparagement and alienation violations
✅ Why a Child's Bill of Rights belongs in a high-conflict parenting plan

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS (+1:00 for the bumper)
0:00 Intro
1:00 Why a parenting plan lives or dies by its details
3:40 Start early, and leave nothing vague
7:30 Sole vs. joint legal custody, and "final decision-making authority"
10:35 Building tiebreakers so you don't end up back in court
13:58 The right of first refusal, and why one missed hand-off won't win
16:53 New partners, nannies, and what a judge will actually enforce
30:35 When a parent turns the kids: proof, experts, and a Child's Bill of Rights
35:20 Where to find Leona (NY & NJ)

CTA (spoken): Facing a high-conflict custody fight? Book a free discovery call at beentheregotout.com.
Books: When Your Ex Turns the Kids Against You — https://www.amazon.com/Been-There-Got-Out-Against/dp/1967674183 · Been There Got Out — https://www.amazon.com/Been-There-Got-Relationships-Circumstances/dp/194627495X/
Tags: parenting plan, legal custody, joint custody, right of first refusal, co-parenting, custody agreement, non-disparagement, parental alienation, high conflict divorce, family law